Beelzebub, Satan, Abaddon, Lucifer, the Evil One—like the
Devil, sugar takes many forms and goes by many names.
Sucrose, dextrose, glucose, maltose, lactose—what’s the
difference, and why should you care? They can all spike
your blood sugar and tamper with the hormones that control
appetite and fat storage. However, one in particular has
gotten the spotlight recently, and perhaps for good reason,
as it has silently crept its way into every crevice of our food
environment: fructose.
FAQ: Now that my favorite soft drink is made with
real/organic/non-GMO sugar instead of high-fructose corn
syrup, that means it’s healthier, right?
A: No! Table sugar (organic or not) and high-fructose corn
syrup are both roughly 50 percent glucose and 50 percent
fructose. Both are pure sugar, and both can lead to the same
problems: addiction, fat storage, and accelerated glycation.
Fructose is processed differently than glucose, bypassing
your bloodstream and hopping on the express train to your
liver. Dr. Lustig calls the unique effect of fructose on our
biology “isocaloric, but not isometabolic” (the iso prefix
signifies “same”). What this means is that though it has an
equal number of calories, gram for gram, as other sugars,
fructose seems to behave in a rather peculiar manner from
the perspective of your metabolism. It doesn’t elevate blood